Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hardening tool.
Description of Related Art
Such press hardening tools are typically used for the production of hardened sheet-metal shaped articles composed of sheet steel material, for example for the production of motor vehicle parts, and are well known from the prior art, for example from documents DE 10 2011 108 912 A1 and DE 10 2009 043 926 A1.
Normally, in this case, a heated sheet steel material as starting material is arranged between tool parts of the press hardening tool, and subsequently, by virtue of the tool parts being moved together, a shaped article is formed from the sheet steel material. After the shaped article has been shaped and pressed, the shaped article is cooled beyond the critical cooling rate of the material, in order to harden the shaped article. During the production of shaped articles in the form of open and closed profiles, hereinafter also referred to as profiled shaped articles, it is generally the case in the hardening tool that heat-dissipating contact is realized only on one side. It is conceivable, the case of profiled shaped articles, to use an internal tool core which, by way of contact, permits a faster dissipation of the heat in the hardening process. Profiled shaped articles with relatively complex component geometries may have undercut regions, such that the mould core cannot abut fully and in all regions against the internal surfaces of the profiled shaped article. The undercut of the component would have the effect that the mould core does not cover all regions or can no longer be removed from the profiled component. It is thus disadvantageously the case that profiled shaped articles with relatively complex component geometries cannot be fully hardened, or can be hardened only with relatively long hardening times.